Tuesday, July 1, 2008

It is a beautiful story from beginning to end and in many different ways.

In particular I am impressed with this part for this post:

But Ruth replied, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me."Ruth 1:16-17 NIV

I think that is just so incredibly beautiful.

Later on in the story a man named Boaz reveals that he also thought it was beautiful. He apparently is much older than Ruth. At the instruction of her mother-in-law, Naomi, Ruth goes to the threshing floor and lies down at Boaz's feet because he is kinsman-redeemer to her. He awakens surprised to find her there. He tells her that this action on her part is more kind than the kindness she showed to Naomi. He adds that she did not seek the younger men. So that's why I suspect he is much older.

I like Boaz, too. He has already expressed a great deal of kindness towards Ruth and Naomi. He arranges with his men that she can glean the grain in his field and find plenty. Ruth must have been a proud woman but not prideful. I thought the way that Boaz handled this situation was remarkable because he is concerned both with Ruth's dignity as well as her material well-being.

We would do well as a society to remember that our race requires sustenance on both fronts.